The Expendables Is Back With Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham — But Not How You Think

So, here’s something I didn’t expect to be writing in 2026: The Expendables is coming back—but not in the way you might think (I know, you’ve heard that before, but this time it’s actually true). Instead of another round with Stallone, Statham, and the rest of the over-50 testosterone brigade, the next Expendables movie is all about the women. Yes, the all-female spinoff—that old rumor—is officially back from the dead.

The Expendabelles: Rising From the Grave

If you’ve been paying attention to the action franchise rumor mill over the past decade (and, honestly, who hasn’t?), you probably remember hearing about The Expendabelles once or twice. It’s the Expendables, but with a female team. This project has been stuck in development purgatory for over ten years, long enough that it’s basically become an industry inside joke. Now, thanks to some dealmaking at Cannes 2026, this thing really might happen.

What’s different this time? Well, Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group (HVG) are on board, hitting the festival circuit to drum up cash and find someone to actually release the movie. Heidi Jo Markel, the boss at Eclectic, sounded genuinely excited:

'There has always been a strong global appetite for female-driven action franchises, and we believe the time is now to introduce a bold new generation of elite operatives into this universe. What excites us most is the opportunity to elevate the material by pairing it with top-tier creative talent and delivering a fresh, stylish, adrenaline-fueled experience for worldwide audiences.'

Translation: they really, really want this to work (and probably hope audiences do too).

So, What Do We Actually Know?

• It’s a prequel. The Expendabelles is set in the 1990s, telling an origin story for the whole franchise. So don’t expect cameos from Ronda Rousey or Michelle Rodriguez—at least, not unless they’re de-aged.
• New cast, new era. None of the classic male Expendables crew are involved. This story is about a brand new team—with actors you probably haven’t seen punching bad guys before (at least not in this franchise).
• Style over nostalgia? They’re describing it as a 'stylized, action-driven cinematic event.' Expect that to mean glossy direction, new-school sensibilities, and hopefully less of the “gritty filter over muscle flexing” vibe.
• Money men in the mix. There’s a stack of executive producers: Sandy Climan, Joe Smith, Nelly Kim, Kroll, Stephen R. Foreht, and John Yarincik. Honestly, you don’t need to remember their names unless you’re making a spreadsheet, but these are the folks wrangling the budget and arguing about how many helicopters should explode per scene.
• A long, weird history. There was a previous version of The Expendabelles in the works—way back when, Robert Luketic (yes, the guy from Legally Blonde) was going to direct. That version got quietly deep-sixed. This is a totally new take.

Why Now?

Frankly, The Expendables movies made a ridiculous amount of money—$855 million globally across four films, despite nobody knowing when the last one even came out. The appetite for nostalgia-fueled, big-budget action is still huge, and apparently there’s a sense that audiences are finally ready for a female-led version. Or maybe they’re just willing to gamble since the '90s are back in fashion, both on the runway and apparently in movie plots.

Final Thoughts

Will The Expendabelles actually shoot, or is this just another round of Cannes vaporware? I’m skeptical, but the producers have real money and the right festival buzz. If nothing else, the idea of a 1990s-set origin story about women blowing stuff up sounds like just the right kind of ridiculous the franchise needs.